


What the Rebellion Needs

by ReneeoftheStars



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Minor Character Death, death description, death mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 09:56:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13097664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReneeoftheStars/pseuds/ReneeoftheStars
Summary: With the Rebel Alliance just beginning to take form, its leaders are in desperate need of allies. Ahsoka Tano believes she can convince Onderon rebel Saw Gerrera to join their cause. Gerrera has other thoughts on the matter.





	What the Rebellion Needs

**Author's Note:**

> Written for tumblr blog finish-the-clone-wars writing Wednesday prompt: We Could Have Had it All

“We need you, Saw,” Ahsoka repeated, resisting the urge to block his path.

“I said no. Now leave.” He stormed past her and out of the tent, holstering his blaster as he went.

Ahsoka followed close behind, eyes wandering as she took in the camp. Nets of moss and ferns had been thrown over tents and other hastily-built shelters, camouflaging Saw’s rebels from aerial scans. Onderonians were hard at work, drilling and practicing combat maneuvers. Recognizing a cluster of four humans she had fought alongside during the occupation of the planet, Ahsoka raised an arm in greeting; their grim expressions dissolved into wonder as they returned the gesture.

Saw Gerrera noticed the exchange. “We figured the Empire destroyed the Jedi. Never expected to see you alive.”

“I’ve managed,” Ahsoka responded. “Most were not so lucky. I’m trying to prevent others from suffering the losses we’ve known.”

“How noble of you. Now that you’ve got nothing left to lose.”

Ahsoka felt a bubble of anger, then let it go. “Now I have everything to fight for. And so do you.”

Saw shook his head irritably. “My place is right here. The Empire has been cracking down on my people, taking the children off to train in their academies, to make them loyal. Those stormtroopers push us around, taking resources and threatening to imprison us.”

“It’s happening all across the galaxy,” Ahsoka said. “On every world, the Empire is beginning to erode the values of the Republic, and the autonomy that each world had. That’s why we need you.”

“Do you not understand the word ‘no’? I’m not helping you.” He bent down as he entered a gash in the cliff wall that Ahsoka hadn’t noticed. Stubbornly, she followed.

Blasters and cannons lay on long rows of tables, illuminated by a handful of dim lanterns hanging from some rock outcroppings. It was a well-stocked arsenal, to be sure.

Saw picked up the nearest blaster and examined it. “We’ve smuggled whatever arms we could out of the capital. The military is slowly being disbanded – General Tandin was relieved a few months ago. We were still recovering from the Separatist occupation when all this happened. We weren’t prepared. I guess the Empire decided it would be safer for them if we didn’t regain our footing.”

“Saw,” Ahsoka said, folding her arms. “You have expertise that would be invaluable to the movement we’re beginning – a resistance, a rebellion. A collection of individuals who want nothing more than to liberate their worlds from the Empire’s control.”

“I don’t care about the rest of the galaxy,” Saw snapped, slamming the blaster back on the table. “Only about this world.”

_This isn’t working,_ she thought. _He’s too focused on what’s happening here._ “Your devotion to Onderon is admirable,” Ahsoka allowed, “but you’re missing the bigger picture. The Empire has every resource in the Republic at its disposal. If you drive this group of Imperials out from your world, the Empire will send another wave, and then another, until you’re crushed. Fighting back on any one world would deal a blow, yes, but it wouldn’t attack the heart of the problem. We’re hoping the build enough support and supplies to go toe-to-toe with the Emperor himself.”

He sneered. “And how are your recruitment efforts going?”

“They would go better if we had you beside us. People look up to you, Saw.”

The man shook his head. “Not to me. They looked up to Steela.” A faraway look came into his eyes, his expression softened. Almost unconsciously, he withdrew a small hologram projector from his belt and activated it. A flickering blue image took shape, and suddenly Ahsoka was looking at the smiling face of Saw’s sister. “She was the true leader of our rebellion, right from the start. She had charisma like no one else I’ve known.”

“Steela –” Ahsoka hesitated, suddenly uncertain about how to proceed. The girl in the hologram seemed unconcerned, light-hearted; this must have been recorded before Onderon fell to the Separatists. “She was a great warrior, and a great leader. She inspired people. But you do too. And that’s why we need you.”

He rounded on her. “You need Steela! And the only reason you can’t have her is because you dropped her!”

Ahsoka’s heart constricted. “I –”

“If you’d been a better Jedi, you could have saved her! She’s dead because of you!”

Pain rose in her, almost seemed to choke her. She blinked rapidly to clear her sight, but the memory flashed across her mind _. Steela hovered through the air, held aloft only by Ahsoka’s will. The Jedi stood at the edge of the cliff, concentrating with all her might to deliver her friend safely back to solid ground. The two girls reached out for one another, hands almost touching as Ahsoka used the Force to bring her closer –_

_A scream of blasterfire, whitehot agony erupting across her shoulder, Ahsoka cried out and fell back, her focus slipping. She forced herself to her feet and lurched towards the edge, raising her uninjured arm to catch Steela – but it was too late. Horror screaming in her mind, Ahsoka spied Steela’s broken body on the canyon floor far below._

Ahsoka drew in a deep breath and held it, once more feeling guilt rise up in her. How many times had she relived that day? So many times she had thought, _if I could have recovered from the blasterbolt just a little bit quicker,_ or _if I’d used the Force to propel her faster_ _._ The possibilities taunted her, hurt her heart. _If only I had been stronger._ But she could not fixate over what might have been; it would consume her. She released her breath, and with it, let go of the feelings. She could not change what was in the past.

“I wish I could have saved her,” Ahsoka said gently. “I understand if you blame me for her death.”

The fight seemed to go out of Saw. He turned his head away, staring instead at the hologram.

“Steela would not have stood by and let the Empire abuse her homeworld, and in that respect, you honor her memory. But she understood how to put matters into perspective. She understood the value of organizing and planning meaningful strikes, of how to rally people –”

Saw cut her off, his voice low and cold, and Ahsoka wondered if he'd even been listening. “It’s my fault. I want to blame you. But I can only hate myself, because I’m the one that shot the gunship down, the one that caused the cliffside she was on to break.”

Ahsoka reached out her hand. “Saw, it’s not –”

“Don’t say it,” he snarled, swatting her hand away. “I’m the reason she’s dead. It _is_ my fault, and I intend to never forget it. I’ll spend my life atoning for it.”

_You’ll spend your life obsessing about how you failed. And you will take greater risks to ensure you do not fail again._ The thought rose, unbidden, and rested uneasily in her heart.

Saw didn’t seem to recognize her discomfort. “Steela’s the one everyone believed in. She stirred people, got them to fight because she made them _believe_ they could, that they could make things better. These people? They follow me because they’re angry and scared, and I’m offering a way to make the Empire pay for hurting us.” He stepped forward, staring her down. Blue light from the hologram illuminated half his face, casting the other half in shadow. “Do angry people like us belong in your righteous rebellion?”

Ahsoka gazed up at him. “You fight for others. You will always have a place. I’m not asking for your allegiance, Saw. I’m asking you to come speak with the leaders of the Alliance, and decide from there how you would best like to fight the Empire.”

Saw was quiet, his eyes searching her face. His gaze slid away as he looked at the projection of his sister once more. At last, he sighed and turned the device off. “Fine. Fine, I’ll meet your leaders. But I don’t promise anything.”

Ahsoka bowed. “They’re in a nearby system. If it’s acceptable to you, we’ll leave at nightfall.”

“Fine.” Saw brushed passed her and was swallowed up the camp, leaving Ahsoka alone among the weapons and dimming lanterns.

**Author's Note:**

> The conversation didn't pan out quite how I wanted it to, so I may go back later and edit it some.  
> I feel like Saw has been stewing over his guilt for so long that he can't separate himself from it. He tries to take responsibility for it, but all he does is punish himself and dwell on it instead of learning to move on.


End file.
